Tianmou ‘Jayden’ Zhang
Level Design
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Controlling Player Tension with DDA Encounter Design
I often wonder how to best design an inspiration of the DDA system used in
Traditionally, encounter designers control to control Uncertainty and Emotional
encounter experience for different players.
the design of every enemy and their
behaviors in combat. However, we can’t
assume that the players’ skill levels are
on par with each other. According to the
Flow theory, players with different skill
Significance and their impact upon player
tension. They are both key components of
a tension situation, according to L, Moritz
and K, Stephan.
levels might have varying experiences With this project, I was able to breakdown
Thus, this project attempted to implement and solve them, thus building up a strong
when faced with the same challenge level.
Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA)
into the process of encounter design to
create a similar experience for players with
different skill levels.
It took me 210+ hours to finish this project.
I was able to implement a DDA system
into The Divinity: Original Sin 2 Definitive
Edition. Valve’s “Hamlet” DDA system
used in the Half-Life series was the initial
60
this project. I designed the DDA system
LEVEL DESIGN
a complex problem into small chunks
understanding of the DDA system as well
as how to control player tension with actual
mechanics.
I think this project is useful for the industry,
as it offers a way to create a universal
singleplayer experience for players with
different skill levels rather than having a
“difficulty selection” mode.